THEY are still rooted at the foot of the Premiership but the Bolton players don't feel quite as isolated as they were before they went to Newcastle.

Not that they aren't aware of the harsh realities of Premiership life. They know they played well up there but the bottom line is that three more safety points went begging.

But their performance at least maintained the confidence generated by the wins against Bradford and Wimbledon and caused a few of their long-standing critics and doubters to waver in their insistence that it's Wanderers and two others for the drop.

Up to now it's been left to opposition managers and players, mostly magnanimous in victory, who have taken time out to praise their performances. Tomas Brolin and Howard Wilkinson after the Leeds game, David Pleat at Hillsborough, Chris Kamara after the FA Cup tie at Bradford, then, of course, Kevin Keegan.

But Wanderers won support from the unlikeliest of quarters when Trevor Brooking told Match of the Day viewers that they weren't necessarily a lost cause.

"That's the first positive thing anyone's said about us," Keith Branagan said out of sheer surprise. "Everybody has analysed us and everything's been said about us that there's nothing more to say. 'They have good players and they play good football but ... '

"It's crazy! People wrote us off before a ball was kicked and said we'd go straight back down. Now we're stuck at the bottom and people are starting to suggest we can still get out of it.

"I've always thought we are good enough!"

The keeper is passionate in his determination to keep Wanderers in the Premiership.

He explains: "That's what I'm here for. I'm not looking at this as the end, the pinnacle of my career. There are things I still want to do, things I want to achieve in the league, apart from my international ambitions.

"I'm really gutted that we haven't done better this season, especially after the three good years we've had. If we can just dig ourselves out of it ...!"

Branagan will be keeping a close eye on Dublin where the FA of Ireland are in the throes of appointing Jack Charlton's successor. But he maintains his philosophical stance on the prospect of adding to his one B cap with the Republic, which he won last season, insisting: "If it happens, it happens."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.